Book Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Book Series: Heirs of Chicagoland #1
Released: 8/14/18 by Berkley
Pages: 352 Price: $15.00 Paperback
Links: Goodreads, Author’s Site
Source: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for an honest review.
Book Synopsis:
As the only vampire child ever born, some believed Elisa Sullivan had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Connor Keene, the only son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she’s a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he’s prince of the Pack and its future king.
When the assassination of a diplomat brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever.
My Review:
Being a fan of the main series this book was spun off of I was so excited to have the opportunity to read and review this book. Then the summer hit and I got busy and felt awful that it took me until the week before the release to read it. To top it off the author is coming to Naperville on Thursday and I took the day off to go see her. So this week I pushed myself to carve out some reading time and finished the first book in a whole new chapter of Chicagoland vampires
I might have also been a bit hesitant to start the spin-off out of fear that it wouldn’t live up the original series. Of course, many of the characters would carry over but there would be new people to connect with and form bonds. Lulu and Connor were my personal favorites. The first book in series are often make or break for the success of a series. We need enough background information to get hooked but not an info dump. We need a compelling plot to keep us engaged with characters we barely know and enough cliffhangers to keep us coming back. That’s a lot of pressure for a book.
Fortunately, Ms. Neill does a beautiful job with Wild Hunger. There was enough distinction from the first series for this one to stand on its own. Yet there was plenty of characters and settings carried over from the first series to keep fans of that one feeling like they were visiting old friends. The time jump between the last series and this one was handled nicely too. Of course, being vampires, for many of the characters, we don’t have to worry about them having died off. Ms. Neill demonstrates the advancement of time more through the changes in the city and technology which were subtle yet fun ways to make to book feel like it is set in the future.
Then there is the fact that Elisa is the descendant of the two main characters from the last series. This could have easily come off as Merit with blond hair but doesn’t. If anything I almost see more of her father Ethan in her than Merit, but she is a nice blend of their personalities and quirks. Ms. Neill also sets up Elisa’s love interest for the series with Connor, which wasn’t a huge surprise because it was implied in the last series. It isn’t a major plot point in the book but a good start for future books. I look forward to seeing how they come together.
I don’t want to spoil things for you but there was an unexpected twist that links the two series through Elisa. I am looking forward to seeing how she handles this issue and how it becomes known to her parents.
Overall if you are a fan of Chicagoland Vampires then it is a given that you are going to want to get your hands on this book. Take my word on it! If you want to start here though, there is a lot to love in this book. The action, humor, and setting are all spot on! It was a fun read and if you enjoy urban fantasy then you will enjoy Wild Hunger too.
My Rating: 5 Stars
Mercy Thompson: It might be because I’m currently rereading these books in audio format and they are narrated by the same person but I think these two series might be fun for a crossover. In Jones’s world there is only angels and the grim reaper for paranormal elements what would happen if they learned there were also shifters, vampires, and fae, oh my!
Dark Ones & 
Jane Jameson: Returning to lighter hearted paring for my final selection. Both of these authors have great senses of humor and tend to write wacky female characters that would be fun to see interact.
I remember this book being hyped about through the TTT lists when I started blogging. It was sold to me as for Big Bang Theory fans as it is essentially Sheldon in love. For me, it lived up to the hype many of the patrons at my library were less enamored with it.
